Sheriff is a one of the protagonists of the Cars series, an ally of Lightning McQueen and the rest of the Radiator Springs residents, as well as the local sheriff. He resides on Route 66, maintaining safety to the busy roads of Carburetor County, and hunting down any delinquents that are out to cause trouble. In the Cars series, he is a major character that often assists the townsfolk with problems, and keeping Radiator Springs and its surrounding areas safe.

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Creation and development

John Lasseter has said that the idea for Cars was born after he took a cross-country road trip with his wife and fchildren in 2000. When he returned to the studio after vacation, he contacted Michael Wallis, a Route 66 historian. Wallis then led eleven Pixar animators in rented white Cadillacs on two different road trips across the route to research the film.

The character Sheriff was created based off of a classic police car, which Wallis voiced.

History

Cars

In Cars, Sheriff begins to chase Lightning when he speeds past him on his way to Radiator Springs. After shooting at him in an attempt to make him stop, Sheriff waits until Lightning gets caught in the power lines, and arrests him. The following day, after Lightning tries to escape Radiator Springs, Sheriff and Sally await him, as they lowered his gas amount.

Cars: The Video Game

In Cars: The Video Game, he first appears in the minigame Sheriff's Chase, where he and Lightning talk about how Lightning wrecked Radiator Springs not that long before. Then Sheriff thinks Lightning is asking for a rematch, and he accepts it, because Doc outfitted him with a turbo charger. If Lightning wins, he won't be thrown in the impound. If Sheriff wins, Lightning will. After Lightning won the race, Sheriff asks Lightning to stop doing doughnuts, and to go away, or he will be picking up trash on the highway.

Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures

Mater and the Ghostlight

In Mater and the Ghostlight, Sheriff tells the story of a mythical vehicle called the Ghostlight, scaring the rest of the town, especially Mater. Deciding to pull a practical joke, he and the other townspeople place a lamp on Mater's tow hook, scaring him all the way around Carburetor County.

Cars: Mater-National Championship

In Cars: Mater-National Championship, he appears with Otto, as he was speeding. Lightning makes sure that Otto stays out of trouble by racing him, along with Sheriff. Sheriff later appears overhearing Lightning sending Otto to see Lizzie, saying that will keep him busy. He then later appears when Mater spots a tractor and was about to tip it, but gets interrupted by Sheriff. Mater says that he's sorry, then Sheriff says that he does not want Mater to go tractor tipping again, and then he reminds Mater of the Ghostlight, which when Mater wasn't looking, Sheriff puts the blue lantern on Mater's hook.

Cars Toons

Tokyo Mater

In Tokyo Mater, Boost, DJ and Wingo speed by Sheriff at Flo's V8 Cafe, causing him to take pursuit, which leads Mater into his story about how he was once a drift racer.

Hiccups

In Hiccups, Sheriff receives a case of the hiccups at the end of the short, causing him to run away as Mater tries to cure him by kissing him.

The Radiator Springs 500½

The World of Cars Online

In The World of Cars Online, Sheriff could often be found chasing one of the tuner cars throughout the roads of Radiator Springs.

Cars: Race-O-Rama

In Cars: Race-O-Rama, he appears in Sheriff's Chase, which the player has to help him catch some speeders, who are a few of the Chick Hicks Racing Academy students. This is similar to another mini-game in Cars: The Video Game. He is also playable in many other events like races on the console versions.

Cars 2

In Cars 2, he watches McQueen leave for the World Grand Prix. When he is called to London by McQueen he aids McQueen and Mater in fighting the lemons by chaining one of them up just like he did to McQueen in the first film.

Cars 2: The Video Game

In Cars 2: The Video Game, Sheriff is a downloadable playable character that is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. He is a medium weight, and has speed and power that are equal to each other.

Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure

In Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure, Sheriff appears in the first Cars level, when Mater has the player try to stay close to Sheriff on the course. Sheriff later appears at the end of the course and in the background of the ending cut-scene.

General information

Physical description and traits

Sheriff is a 1949 Mercury Police Cruiser that is painted black and white, with the Radiator Springs Police Department badge on both of his doors. He has a siren on his roof.

His license plate reads 001, except in Cars: The Video Game, where it reads SHERIFF.

Powers and abilities

Sheriff is incredibly fast and can easily catch speeders that come racing through town, though he may have trouble accelerating. He is also very stable, as evidenced in Cars: The Video Game, where he has the highest stability stats in the game.

Roles

Sheriff often plays the role of the "voice of reason" to Radiator Springs, and acts as a boss towards the multiple Radiator Springs residents and vistors. He is portrayed as a fatherly figure to Mater, as he is always keeping an eye on him and watching his behavior.

Personality

Sheriff is easily angered, and quick to threaten someone if they step out of line, as he is the head of the town, making sure everything is in order. However, he does have fun with his job, chasing speeders and fighting crime.

Relationships

Sheriff speaks with caution to most of his friends and aquaintances, but remains overall keeps a calm personality with most of the residents throughout Carburetor County. He is good friends with Lightning McQueen, even though the two initially had bad blood due to Sheriff chasing McQueen down, which led to him tearing the road up.

Sheriff has been shown to have bad chemistry with characters such Boost, Snot Rod, Wingo and DJ, four delinquents that are always wreaking having throughout Radiator Springs, and as such, they have been arrested multiple times.

Official profiles and statistics

Cars

Bios

"There's a long history of law enforcement in Sheriff's family. His father was a traffic cop. His aunt, his two cousins on his mother's side, his little brother...even his grandfather was a traffic cop, directing traffic at Times Square in New York around the turn of the century. Sheriff always knew he too would be a cop. After all, how many other options did he have with a name like Sheriff?"

Cars: The Video Game

Stats

Speed: 4

Acceleration: 2

Handling: 2

Stability: 5

Portrayals

Sheriff has continued to be voiced by Michael Wallis throughout the entirety of the series.